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Health Bureau and Hospital Authority alert public to fraudulent SMS messages
The Health Bureau (HHB) and the Hospital Authority (HA) today (June 9) urged members of the public to stay vigilant against fraudulent SMSmessages purportedly issued by "eHealth" or "HA Go".
The HA has recently received enquiries from the public about SMS messages sent under the name of "eHealth" or "HA Go". These fraudulent messages falsely claimed that the trial period of certain medical protection plans subscribed to by the citizens has expired, and that charges will be incurred, in an attempt to deceive the public into calling a telephone number provided in the SMS messages or answering unidentified incoming calls.
The HHB and the HA solemnly clarified that they have never sent the relevant SMS messages and have reported the matter to the Police.
Both eHealth and the HA are registered in the SMS Sender Registration Scheme of the Office of the Communications Authority. All SMS messages issued by the relevant entities will bear the prefix "#" in the SMS Sender ID (i.e. "#eHealth" or "#HA Go"), enabling members of the public to verify the identity of the senders.
Moreover, in cases where the HA requires contact with the public by phone, a staff member will place the call and provide relevant information to verify identity. The HA is gradually adopting 18285 or 18286 as the prefix for its caller ID display numbers, thereby assisting members of the public to identify incoming calls from the HA.
The HHB and the HA again reminded the public not to provide any personal information in response to unidentified and suspicious incoming calls, SMS messages or website links to prevent the leakage of personal data. Anyone who has disclosed his or her personal information via the telephone number provided in the above fraudulent SMS messages or to any other persons should contact the Police immediately.
CHP continues to follow up confirmed Mpox case epidemiologically linked to “Hutong”
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (June 9) that one more confirmed local Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) case has been recorded, which is epidemiologically linked to thecases involving "Hutong"as announced in the past two weeks. Through the CHP's active case finding, five cases with epidemiological links to "Hutong" have been identified so far (including the first two cases notified by the authorities in Chinese Mainland). The individuals do not know each another and all have engaged in high-risk activities with strangers at the premises. The premises remains closed at present. The CHP will continue to closely follow up individuals who visited the premises on or after May 1 and provide them with health education and continue to conduct medical surveillance.The CHP once again urged the high-risk target groups to receive Mpox vaccination as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the public is advised to avoid close physical contact with persons suspected of contracting Mpox.
Case information
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The case involves a 58-year-old man, who learned about confirmed Mpox cases at a premises called "Hutong" on Shanghai Street in Mong Kok last month from the CHP's earlierpress release. He also visited "Hutong" on May 23 and had high-risk contact there. He subsequently developed rash at his lower body on June 3. He sought medical treatment at the Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre (YMTITC) on June 5, and reported relevant high-risk contact history to the healthcare workers, who then arranged specimen collection from him for testing. His specimentested positive for monkeypox virus upon laboratory testing by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch. The CHP has arranged for him to receive isolation treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital. The patient is currently in stable condition.
The CHP is conducting an epidemiological investigation, and will endeavour to contact individuals who had high-risk contact with him. The CHP will notify World Health Organization of this case.
Follow-up on the "Hutong" cases
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The CHP endeavours to contact individuals who visited "Hutong" on or after May 1 to provide them with health education and conduct medical surveillance. To date, over 300 individuals who have visited the premises on or after May 1 have been successfully contacted. Two confirmed cases, who had high-risk contact at the premises during the incubation period, have been identified previously. The CHP again urges anyone who have visited the premises on or after May 1 to call the CHP's designated Mpox telephone hotline (2125 2373), so that the CHP can provide health assessments and advice. The hotline operates daily from 9am to 6pm. As investigations are still ongoing, the premises has been closed temporarily starting from May 26.
Furthermore, the CHP has collaborated with Hong Kong AIDS Foundation to launch an outreach Mpox vaccination activity at the organisation's service centre in Mong Kok since last Saturday (June 6) until next Wednesday (June 17). Eligible high-risk groups (especially men who have sex with men) can make an appointment on the organisation'swebsite.
Since 2022, Hong Kong has recorded a total of 90 Mpox cases (73 local cases and 17 imported cases), including the above-mentioned case. All patients were males. Epidemiological investigations revealed that most cases had high-risk sexual behaviour, including having sex with strangers or having sex without wearing condoms.
Mpox vaccine
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Mpox vaccine can prevent infection and severe disease. The DH provides Mpox vaccination services for highrisk groups. The following high-risk target groups are eligible for Mpox vaccinations on a voluntary basis:
High-risk target groups can receive Mpox walk-in vaccinations at any of the DH's SocHS (namely Chai Wan SocHS, Wan Chai Male SocHS, Wan Chai Female SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Male SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Female SocHS, Yung Fung Shee SocHS, Fanling SocHS and Tuen Mun SocHS) and the DH's YMTITC, without prior appointments.
Meanwhile, the DH's Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre and the Hospital Authority's Special Medical Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital also provide Mpox vaccination services for their clients.
Mpox is not transmitted through respiratory droplets or aerosols in general, and transmission would not occur through social contact. The CHP reminds the public, especially those at higher risks of exposure, to take precautions and avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of being infected. They should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience relevant symptoms, including rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches. They should not engage in activities with others that may involve contact with skin rash or body fluids.
For more details, please visit the CHP's page onMpoxandMpox Vaccination Programme.
Source: AI-found images
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